Explosion reveals illegal Bitcoin mining setup in Malaysia

An explosion in Lorong Cakera, Purnama, led to the discovery of an illegal Bitcoin mining setup in Malaysia. A local reported the smoke to the Sungai Buloh district police headquarters. 

A blast from a house in Purnama, Malaysia, uncovered an illegal Bitcoin mining operation. The police reported finding rigs powered by stolen electricity. Tampering with electricity supply lines is a crime under Malaysian law. 

Blast uncovers illegal Bitcoin mining setup in Purnama

A woman in Purnama reported an explosion to the Sungai Buloh district police headquarters at 11:41 am GMT.  The police chief, Supt Mohd Hafz Muhammad Nor, said 14 volunteer firefighters from Saujana Utama and Bestari Jaya were sent to the distress call site. 

Explosion in Malaysia Uncovers Illegal Bitcoin Mine

An explosion in Bandar Puncak Alam led to the discovery of an illegal Bitcoin mining operation. Authorities found nine mining rigs connected to a stolen power supply, highlighting the growing issue of crypto mining-related… pic.twitter.com/2xTwXzuNJH

— Sworn (@SWORNMETAX) February 13, 2025

He added the firefighters and police had to break into the uninhabited house to put the fire out. Nor said that they were able to establish the fire originated in a room where the power lines had been modified. 

The police chief revealed that the fire was extinguished about five hours after the report was made. He added that a team of police and Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) personnel entered the house to determine the cause of the fire. Nor noted that upon entry, they found electricity had been unlawfully connected to a Bitcoin mining setup. 

He listed the items in the setup, including nine Bitcoin mining rigs, nine blower fans, and a D-Link router.  The police chief mentioned that an investigation paper was opened under Section 427 of the Penal Code and Section 37(1) of the Electricity Supply Act 1990. 

Nor urged citizens with information regarding the illegal Bitcoin operation to come forward and aid in the investigation. He directed them to the nearest police station or the assistant investigating officer, Mohammad Nurizwan Hafiz Abd Halim, at Bernama. 

Tampering with electricity power lines is criminalized under the Malaysian penal code. It can result in a fine of up to 100,000 Malaysian ringgit($23,700) and/or a sentence of up to five years.

Thailand authorities crack on illegal bitcoin mining operations 

Last month, Thai police uncovered another illegal Bitcoin mining operation in Chonburi. The operation reportedly stole roughly $3 million worth of electricity and involved over 1,000 machines. The miners allegedly tampered with power lines of the local Provincial Electricity Authority(PEA) to divert electricity to their machines. An unidentified staff member at the setup revealed that power line transmission interference was done at night to avoid detection by the authorities. 

Thailand’s Crime Suppression Division (CSD) reported that over 900 machines were seized from the site. The enforcement agency added that they had yet to uncover the individuals behind the operation. However, it said that they were already seeking warrants of arrest beforehand. 

In October 2024, Bitcoin miners in the Mang District of Bangkok were also raided for interfering with the region’s power supply lines. It was reported that they had tampered with the supply meters to show false readings and steal millions of dollars worth of electricity. 

In November, it was also reported that nine illegal Bitcoin mining farms in southern Thailand were shut down for stealing millions of dollars worth of electricity.

In May 2024, Thai police raided another illegal Bitcoin mining plant in Samut Sakhon and acquired over 69 million baht of equipment. The police reported being tipped off about the area’s high electricity usage. Pichetpong Changkaikhon, Samut Sakhon City Police Chief, mentioned that they found over 690 bitcoin mining units.

He added that they seized other items, including an electrical transformer, computers, and aluminum cables. The police chief noted a Myanmar national was arrested at the site, and they had opened investigations on the matter. Pichetpong revealed that other areas were also raided over suspicion of illegal bitcoin mining, but they had only seized 40 to 50 bitcoin mining units.

A week before the May incident, the Technology Crime Suppression Division officers reported raiding two locations where 187 and 465 bitcoin mining machines were acquired.

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